Syria peace talks recognize 130,000 dead in civil war

This week, about 1,900 people died in Syria’s civil war during the peace talks in Geneva. Some died from war casualties. Others were trapped without food or medicine in cities blockaded by troops.

In Geneva, the peace talks settled very little.

According to Reuters, the U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said that the two sides recognized no progress so far. The government wanted the opposition to be removed, while the opposition pressed for al-Assad’s resignation.

Russia is confident that Syria will carry out its promise to destroy its chemical weapons by June 30, as agreed by the Geneva talks.

The Associated Press traced the cause of the war to a series of protests against Assad in 2011, after which the death toll escalated to 130,000 people. Nearly two million have flooded into neighboring countries, and in Lebanon alone, several villages were attacked by 50 tank shells.

Reuters said that on Thursday, the delegation stood in silence in honor of these people. “All stood up for the souls of the martyrs,” said opposition delegate Ahmad Jakal. “Symbolically it was good.”